Quotes About Writing

When I kept a diary, I realised that it was all moanings and depression, and I think that is quite common.

When I started to write, I realised that you need a bit of both: the overall context as well as the individual's experience.

When I was about eight, I realised the person whose name was on the book got money for it, and it seemed almost too good to be true that you could get paid for making things up.

I never expected to earn money out of writing. In fact, the idea of getting published was too bourgeois. Then, in England, I realised that writing a book was something you could do without it being laughable.

I've realised that my strength is writing around people.

I realised that what I loved was descriptive writing rather than something with a plot.

Realism isn't something most people associate with the fantasy genre, yet it's an essential element of great fantasy writing.

I like my films to have a certain amount of realism - something that's thought provoking and intelligently written. More than the amount on the pay cheque, I look for a level of respectability as an actor.

I learned you have to move fast, writing futuristic satire in America: Before you know it, you're a realist!

In my own writing, I think of myself as a realist who exaggerates a little.

I found that I could write two kinds of short stories: I could write very absurd, kind of surrealistic, funny stories; or I could write very dark, realistic - hyper-realistic - stories. I was never happy with that, because I couldn't meld the two.

I had to write about realistic circumstances. That's the way my brain works. And I think that gave me a sort of place in the field.

I try to write about realistic people doing realistic things. Or as close as I can get, given that I'm trying to write a suspenseful crime novel.

For some reason, I have always had a really good ability to write children in a way that's realistic but not annoying. The key to that is underwriting them: peel back the dialogue and keep it simple.

I had a very realistic expectation of the level of success that it was possible to attain writing romance novels.

After I finished my first draft of 'Salvage the Bones,' I felt that I wasn't political enough. I had to be more honest about the realities of the community I was writing about.

First and foremost, if you want to be a good writer, you need to be a good eater. You need to be fearless when it comes to eating, you can't show predilections or bias.

I believe good writing can save bad art.

All good writing comes out of aloneness.

I love a mask. It's why I've got a thing about good writing. When you're acting, you're going into someone else's work. You're behind his words; it's not you.

In good writing, the contemplative and the exciting happen at the same time.

Good writing is everything.

You just can't make bad writing look good. But if you have good writing, you just say it, and it's almost done.

Read. Read. Read. Read many genres. Read good writing. Read bad writing and figure out the difference. Learn the craft of writing.